A Sound Like Thunder
by LuipaardJack
Summary: 2nd Gig AU. As leader of the Hostage Rescue Unit, it is now Togusa's duty to serve the government. But how will that clash with Section 9? Part of the Hellfire universe.


**This is a story I've wanted to write for a very long time. I'm glad that I'm finally able to present it in its final form.**

**I do not own Ghost in the Shell; only the Original Characters presented here. Please, read and review!**

* * *

_"seeing you in my tears_  
_in my own reflection  
I hear you in the wind that passes through me_

_feel you in my hunger  
you're haunting my ambition  
beautifully destructive attraction_

_climbed to zero G's  
now falling like a rock  
drugged and digitized you inside a dream"_

_-- "Velveteen" Ilaria Graziano; Yoko Kanno_

---------------------

The police helicopters were swarming around the Chinese Embassy. On the ground, cops directed people away from the building as SWAT converged on it, riding elevators to floors below the relevant story.

A rooftop over, three darkly clad figures watched the activity. Upon closer inspection, one would realize that two were female, while the one in the middle had a male figure; and that they all wore the grey ninja suits(1) normally characteristic for Section 9.

Indeed, the male had once been a part of that organization; however, their subsequent disbandment, along with several months of no contact, had lead him to take up his new position.

He studied the situation with his golden eyes before turning to the lovely woman of African descent next to him.

"Marielle?"

Marielle leaned forward a little, the pupils of her artificial eyes dilating as they zoomed in. She shrugged. "The police are herding people about; SWAT is moving in. The usual formula, tried and true."

"Keep an eye on them," the golden-eyed man said, and sat back. "Red, are the others here yet?"

"No." The scarlet-haired woman on his other side rolled her eyes. "Tigger(2) is still having trouble with the helicopter. The engine again."

Their commander scowled, and accessed his cybercomm. _"Tig,"_ he barked. _"What the hell are you doing?"_

The green haired woman on the other end made a several noises of frustration before giving a coherent answer. _"It's this damn engine, it won't --"_

"_Now is not the time to tinker with it,"_ he barked. _"We have more than one helicopter. Drag out the second one, and get the boys over here."_

A sigh. _"Yes, sir."_

"She does love that helicopter," Red remarked.

"I'm not attacking her for it," the man said, sounding slightly peeved. "She's wasting time, is all."

A smile. "I know."

Grumbling to himself about women, Togusa went back to surveying the hostage situation below.

---------------------

But Togusa and his unit were not the only ones hidden in plain site. A black helicopter was headed to the embassy; and an unmarked van with Major Kusanagi at the wheel pulled up on a side-street that still had a nice view of the building.

"_So,"_ she asked as she placed the brake. _"What do you make of this little situation?"_

"_They got here sooner than I expected,"_ Batou admitted from the back, as he watched a screen depicting a SWAT squad setting up camp in a stairwell. _"These guys aren't dummies; they've gotta be dialed in to how serious this is."_

"_This is usually the part when the waiting game begins,"_ she agreed. _"It comes with the job when you're an anti-terrorist op."_

And then she stood and joined Batou in the back, even as Saito reconnoitered in his helicopter.

---------------------

The two cyborgs stood next to a holograph table that produced an image of the embassy, the hostage-floor highlighted in a green.

"_Okay people, stand by for brain dive,"_ Kusanagi ordered, folding her arms across her chest.

"_Make sure you've got your back-hack blockers up,"_ Batou said, copying the motion and bowing his head.

At that, Major smiled; perhaps a little wistfully. But if there was any sentimentality conjured up by the comment, it didn't show in her clipped summary as she also bowed her head, and closed her eyes. Soon, everyone in the team was inundated with images, complete with a narration courtesy of their commander.

"_Twenty-three minutes ago, a criminal group armed with heavy weapons took over the Chinese Embassy; which is located on the forty-sixth floor of this building. They've taken hostages, but exactly how many is unclear at this point. It has however been confirmed that at least ten workers were still in the embassy at the time of the incident. Likewise, the number of perps is unknown. _

_In the statement they released right after the act took place, they called themselves the Individual 11; all though it's doubtful whether it refers to the number of members in its group."_

She opened her eyes and lifted her head.

"_A stand-off inside an embassy,"_ Pazu said as he put his gun together. _"I don't suppose we're going to be allowed to stretch our muscles?"_

"_Impossible to say,"_ she replied. _"We won't know that until we get official dispatch orders."_

"_What are these Individual 11 characters asking for, anyway?"_

"_An immediate halt to the acceptance of Asian refugees, and a complete closure of the five refugee residential districts that have spread across the country."_

"_Are they kidding?" _Batou demanded. _"How long do they think it'll take us to make _that_ happen?" _He straightened, disgruntled. _"The Chinese government's been sending regular flights to Dejima in order to avoid taking in masses of recently created Asian refugees. I guess they just got caught in the cross-fire in this one."_

"_Yeah. That's if you're following the obvious logic,"_ Major said. _"But since we don't know their true motives, we can't jump to any conclusions. Ishikawa, how's it coming?"_

Inside the basement filled with equipment for regulating the electrical power of the building, Ishikawa was kneeling beside one such piece, tools spread around him as Boma stood guard. _"I've put taps in all the equipment in the facility."_

"_What are the local cops using?"_

"_It looks like they're running a white-area jammer along with the press blackout. It's causing radio-interference. That means there will probably be static in our cybercomms too. All the surveillance cameras in the embassy are destroyed; the perps are negotiating with the cops by way of a phone line that doesn't even have a video feed."_

"_Okay. Once you've put a tap on that, come back to the unmarked van."_

"_Roger."_

As Ishikawa and Boma made to leave, Major turned her attention to another subject.

"_Saito!"_

"_I've reached my designated point. They've got image curtains drawn over the windows in the building, so I can't verify the situation inside. Neutralizing the curtains will be my top priority."_

"_Good. Everyone else be ready for the raid and stand by." _She began to move to the front of the van._ "We'll wait for orders from the Chief." _She paused and turned to share an ironic look with Batou. _"However...if the Chief doesn't have any luck in convincing the top brass, we'll just pull out of this surveillance gig and go drown our sorrows in a nudie bar."(3)_

---------------------

Togusa smiled as wind began to ruffle his hair. He looked up as a dark helicopter began its descent to the rooftop behind him.

"_Hello, Tig,"_ he said cheerfully. _"I'm glad that you got here so quickly!"_

"_Flattery will get you nothing,"_ she replied as the vehicle touched down.

"Never let it be said I mistreat my subordinates," he said aloud. His smile widened as the doors slid open, and his remaining three associates joined him. "Greetings my children."

"Shove it up your ass," Cain articulated pleasantly.

"I'll wash your mouth out when we get home," Togusa shot back in a similar tone. "I trust that none of my darlings need me to waste time reiterating what has happened here?"

"Terrorists came in to the Embassy and want the refugees tossed out of the country," Flyer summated.

Togusa beamed at him. "Quite right, my son. I'm so proud of you!"

"You're in an unusual mood today," Tigger remarked as she joined Marielle at the edge of the roof.

"I'm about to have my leash taken off me, my daughter. I am simply aquiver with excitement."

"Cut the bullshit, Leader," Marielle ordered.

"Yes ma'am." He clapped his hands together. This whole time, the smile had never left his face. It did now, and Togusa looked serious. "Alright. This is our first operation together; I'd like to go over the rules."

Cain muttered something rebellious. Flyer hit the back of his head with a slap; Togusa pretended not to notice.

"First, there shall be no killing of the hostages, no matter how tempting it may be. Second, shoot the terrorists. They _must_ die. I don't want anyone getting squeamish and backing out at the last second."

"Fat chance," was Red's snide comment. She lit a cigarette and gave Togusa an angelic smile when he glared at her. "It's just that you've trained us so well, Leader!"

"Hn."

"No one asked you, Marielle!"

"Free country," Togusa said with a shrug. "Third rule, and, most important: no one gets left behind. If, say, Tigger here fell and broke her leg --"

"Hey!"

He plowed forward as if she hadn't said anything. "-- then I should expect one of the manly men to stop, retreat to her position, and scoop her into his arms. Proverbial knight in shining armor, as it were."

"'Manly men,' Leader?" Marielle asked coquettishly. "You don't seem to be including yourself. Is this finally a confession that you're gay?"

"Enough of _that,_ miss," he said tartly as Cain and Flyer laughed.

Giving off an air of being offended, Togusa checked the time. "Alright, my beautiful offspring. It is now time for us to descend from the heavens, down to the mundane earth below."

"If you don't stop that, I'll shoot you," Red threatened.

---------------------

The police had cleared a space for the helicopter to land. Tigger executed the landing with her usual perfection, and they all disembarked. Togusa checked to make sure his Seburo C-26A(4) was loaded, and followed his teammates.

The captain in charge approached as they scrutinized each other's armor and equipment. He looked young for his job, and his face was filled with nervousness.

"Hello...er -- Commander Luipaard, sir?"

"That's me," Togusa said, once again feeling a twinge at the sound of his old name being aired in public.

"There's something...something's happened, sir."

A cold knot formed in the pit of his stomach. A mask of calm, not unlike Major's, slid into place over his face. "What happened?" he asked gently.

"Well --" The man took a deep breath. "A police assault unit has come into contact with the terrorists. They were trying to gather intel, and were discovered. Both sides have taken casualties, and one of our people has been captured. Now they're saying that unless Kayabuki makes a statement in an hour that she will accede to their demands, they will execute the police officer and then one hostage every ten minutes."

"So in other words, they screwed things up even more," Togusa muttered to himself.

He felt a hand pluck at his elbow. "Leader?"

"Eh? What?" He darted a look at Marielle.

"Leader, I need to get to the power switches."

"Oh. Yes, of course --"

He promptly arranged to have her directed to the same room where Ishikawa had been merely twenty minutes before. Then he grimly outlined the plan of assault to everyone via cybercomm; it was always good to remind them.

---------------------

"_Major!"_

"_Saito?"_ Major frowned as she looked out the windshield of the van. _"Are you seeing this too?"_

"_Yeah. There's some kind of activity going on down there, but I can't see what. You don't think the cops are planning another stupid stunt?"_

"_Don't know. I'll inform the Chief."_

---------------------

"The real problem of this terrorist event is the timing. The government was set to make an announcement in an upcoming policy address regarding the refugees. It would put an indefinite stop to the constant influx of these people into the country..."

In truth, Aramaki wasn't really listening to what the Minister of Home Affairs had to say. He had just received Motoko's transmission and was wondering what to do with it. After all, it wouldn't exactly be advisable to blurt out the questions it raised, since it would certainly come out how he had gotten material for such inquiries.

But the quandary was resolved for him. An official burst through the doors, breathlessly informing the Prime Minister and all in attendance of the capture of a police officer. And then he added, "But ma'am, the Hostage Rescue Unit is in place and ready to move in. Commander Luipaard waits for your go ahead."

Kayabuki visibly relaxed. "That is a weight off my mind," she admitted. "Thank you. You may leave."

The man nodded to the officials, bowed to the Prime Minister.

Aramaki watched him go, frowning. "Madame Prime Minister? Is there something you haven't told me?"

She studied him for a moment. Then she said, "I would like to state here, at this moment, that it was never my intent to humiliate you, or degrade you in any fashion."

"Thank you, Prime Minister. What is the Hostage Rescue Unit?"

She straightened. "An idea I had as I studied the records of Public Security Section 9. You engaged in such activities, yes?"

"On occasion," he agreed.

---------------------

"Marielle is in position everyone," Togusa called. "Get ready!"

"Yes, sir!" his subordinates shouted.

---------------------

"The HRU is a team formed solely for the purpose of performing rescue operations all around the country. Recruitment began in May -- five months after the disbandment of Section 9. We were able to find someone to locate those with the ability and the means to join such a group. The selection process was rigid; only five made it through."

"And now?"

"And now, there are thirty-six members of this organization. Six elite teams placed in key positions all over Japan, ready to act at a moment's notice."

---------------------

(5)Togusa led Flyer and Red to the elevators. They rode them to the forty-fifth floor, and, after Flyer hacked the elevators and placed the timer, they joined the SWAT team stationed on the landing. Togusa quickly explained their orders as his two subordinates took places on both sides of the door. The captain nodded and the battering ram was put in position. Then, the HRU team slid slender, night-vision shields over their eyes. Shields that would let them see in pitch black.

---------------------

"_Hostage Rescue Unit?" _Batou demanded angrily. _"Then what the hell did they need us for? Goddammit, I _knew_ this would happen --"_

"_Shut up, Batou," _Major ordered. _"Chief?"_

"_We were apparently meant to be Plan B," _the leader of Section 9 replied, and there was rage bubbling under his voice. _"In case something went wrong, we were supposed to step in and take care of the situation ourselves."_

"_What does this mean for our stand-by orders?" _Boma asked.

"_I don't know. All we can do is wait and see."_

"_While a bunch of snot-nosed police brats get to go in and have all the fun?" _Batou said scornfully. _"Yeah, this is gonna turn out great."_

---------------------

"_Marielle!" _

"_Shut up, Luipaard, I know! Alright...Flyer, now!"_

Flyer released the virus into the elevator system; the lift traveled the short distance to the next floor, distracting the terrorists.

"_Mary," _Red wheedled.

"_Need to find the damn cable -- where are my shears?!"_

"_MARIELLE!"_

"_Give me a minute! ...Got it! GO IN, NOW!"_

An instant later, the lights went out. The battering ram came up, and the door went down. Togusa, Flyer and Red ran through the doorway, turning on their night vision devices and thermo-optical camouflage as they ran.

---------------------

Quietly, the three crept down the hallway. Togusa heard wails and cries near the end of one corridor. He ordered Red to check it out; he and Flyer would head to the elevator.

They must have encountered the returning party halfway; Togusa slammed into one terrorist quite by accident, and they were both sent sprawling to the floor. The man's shout of surprise alerted his comrades to the presence of intruders.

Flyer abandoned pretense, his camo dissolving around him as he whipped out his kodachi. The blade whistled as it cleaved straight through the neck of a terrorist, sending the head flying and blood gushing out of the neck. His handgun quickly joined the onslaught, accompanying the gunshots coming from Red's own weapon at the other end of the corridor. Soon, it was not one, but three terrorists dead on the floor.

Flyer had no time to think about his first kills. He had problems enough already. A fourth man was coming straight at him, his furious face terrifying in the eerie green glow of the night vision.

A rapid staccato was reverberating in the hacker's ears; Togusa's machine gun, he realized, as he was lifted up and smashed against the wall.

All oxygen was squashed out of his lungs; he simply could not breath, there was too much pain in his chest, darkness was encroaching on his vision --

The staccato returned, this time nearly bursting his ear drums, for it took not even a foot from his face. Blood and bits of brain-flesh coated his face instantly as the top of his attacker's head exploded.

He dropped to the floor, quite a way; but then his Leader was there, helping him up, dusting him off.

"We need to help Red," was all Luipaard needed to say.

---------------------

Red had been knocked out, but not before killing one man, and wounding another in the throat. Her punches were to be reckoned with; she had brutally crushed the man's windpipe with a clean straight, and he was suffocating.

Swearing at his ill-luck, the remaining criminal roughly grabbed a whimpering hostage and began dragging her away.

But his ill-luck followed him. A well placed bullet from a silver revolver entered straight through his forehead, killing him instantly. He fell to the ground.

Flyer approached the dying malcontent, and beheaded him.

"Neat," Togusa congratulated.

"Thanks," Flyer replied quietly. "How's Red?"

"Holding up well. She'll probably have a concussion, though." Togusa knelt down and directed his next question inward. _"Marielle? We need power again."_

"_You got it, glorious Leader."_

Slowly, the lights flickered on, revealing the bloody carnage all around. Flyer lifted off his eye shield and shuddered at the sight.

"You'll get used to it," Togusa promised gently.

And then Red began to stir.

"Sir?" She mumbled fuzzily.

"Right here."

"Did...did we win?"

"Yes," Togusa said, smiling. "We won."

---------------------

**(1) This is actually the official name Pro. I.G uses for those sexy grey suits that they wear (first seen in the first episode of both seasons. :grin: ).**

**(2) This is not a typo.**

**(3) I had not realized that transcribing the English version would be so difficult. God knows what would have happened to me if I'd decided to be a purist and went with the original Japanese.**

**(4) The machine guns you see in the anime. :)**

**(5) It would be appreciated if you began listening to "run rabbit junk" at this point. :)**


End file.
